LCD Buyer's Guide

[humanentity]

SED BUYERS GUIDE

just for the future we should keep a guide for sed

1 choose display size
2 pay it

 

[cr0ssfire]

Originally posted by: xtknight
Now I'd like to hear people's opinions on their LCDs. Please reply and state which model you have and how you like it/don't like it (pros and cons) and that would be awesome.

Also I think I'll do away with the HTML idea because the way I have the recommendations listed now is more condensed and seems to be working better.

Edit: fixed grammar error

My LCD makes me a very sad gamer. It's a "Liquidvideo" 17" monitor (which is Circuit City's store brand, I think) with a response time of 40ms. FORTY - not 4. It's a very spooky monitor to say the least and I'm not sure what reasonably priced 17" might be a good gaming-type replacement for it. Would either of these be any good:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824009055
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824236001

 

[alex141]

Does anyone know what panel the new Gateway FPD2185W 21" Widescreen display uses? The specs list it's S-PVA and i've heard that it's a Samsung panel but i'm trying to figure out whether this lcd has overdrive technology or not. Is it the same panel that's used in the HP F2105? Thanks in advance

 

[Keeir]

Originally posted by: alex141
Does anyone know what panel the new Gateway FPD2185W 21" Widescreen display uses? The specs list it's S-PVA and i've heard that it's a Samsung panel but i'm trying to figure out whether this lcd has overdrive technology or not. Is it the same panel that's used in the HP F2105? Thanks in advance

#1. Yes the Gateway uses Overdrive or whatever they are going to call it.

(Incidently Doma, this Gateway would get my choice right now as the best "all" around for the price. 24" without HDCP (the Dell 2405) is probably a better bargin but for Computer gaming/use 24" is almost too big. The gateway also has supior specs...)

#2. I would say there is a very good chance they use the same panel. With different circuity and backlighting (maybe even the same here). This is because the specs for the monitors are so close in terms of Brightness/Contrast, Reponse Time, etc... However, both Samsung or AU (P-MVA) could be capable of producing such a screen so...

 

[Paintballfreak66]

Just want to say I have a Hyundai ImageQuest L90D and I love it. Had it running for 6 months no problems. It's fast enough for games and looks great.

 

[imported_ST]

Please correct the following info (you had them backwards):

37": Sceptre X37SV-Naga 1920x1080p (16:9)
Panel: 8-bit P-MVA (AUO T370HW01)
Response time: 8 ms. (g2g)
Actual measured response time: not available
Specs: Sceptre X37SV-Naga 1920x1080p
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
Brightness: 600 cd/m2
Price: ~$1700 USD


37": Westinghouse LVM-37w1 1920x1080p (16:9)
Panel: 8-bit S-MVA (CMO V370H1)
Response time: 12ms (g2g)
Actual measured response time: not available
Specs: Westinghouse LVM-37w1
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
Brightness: 550 cd/m2
Price ~$1800 USD

 

[xtknight]

ST:

Is the info in the OP all correct now? Here was your quote:

Originally posted by: ST
P.S.

- Westinghouse 37" : AUO T370HW01

- Scepter 37" : CMO V370H1

And yes they are viable for gaming...

I just had the response times reversed right? The panels are correct (Westinghouse uses AUO and Sceptre uses CMO)?

- Thanks for the catch.

P.S. Samsung is supposed to soon be coming out with the SyncMaster 770P, the first 17" LCD with an S-PVA panel and Overdrive, and it's already available in other countries (UK, Australia). I e-mailed Samsung to see if it's supposed to arrive in the US any time soon. The 970P already is here, and it's a great monitor.

 

[alex141]

Originally posted by: Keeir

Originally posted by: alex141
Does anyone know what panel the new Gateway FPD2185W 21" Widescreen display uses? The specs list it's S-PVA and i've heard that it's a Samsung panel but i'm trying to figure out whether this lcd has overdrive technology or not. Is it the same panel that's used in the HP F2105? Thanks in advance

#1. Yes the Gateway uses Overdrive or whatever they are going to call it.

(Incidently Doma, this Gateway would get my choice right now as the best "all" around for the price. 24" without HDCP (the Dell 2405) is probably a better bargin but for Computer gaming/use 24" is almost too big. The gateway also has supior specs...)

#2. I would say there is a very good chance they use the same panel. With different circuity and backlighting (maybe even the same here). This is because the specs for the monitors are so close in terms of Brightness/Contrast, Reponse Time, etc... However, both Samsung or AU (P-MVA) could be capable of producing such a screen so...

Thanks for the info. This does look like a great all-arounder.. now I just have to decide whether to wait for the 2007FPW or not for a side-by-side comparison. When is that again, Feb/March? =/

 

[imported_ST]

Originally posted by: xtknight
ST:

Is the info in the OP all correct now? Here was your quote:

Originally posted by: ST
P.S.

- Westinghouse 37" : AUO T370HW01

- Scepter 37" : CMO V370H1

And yes they are viable for gaming...

I just had the response times reversed right? The panels are correct (Westinghouse uses AUO and Sceptre uses CMO)?

- Thanks for the catch.

P.S. Samsung is supposed to soon be coming out with the SyncMaster 770P, the first 17" LCD with an S-PVA panel and Overdrive, and it's already available in other countries (UK, Australia). I e-mailed Samsung to see if it's supposed to arrive in the US any time soon. The 970P already is here, and it's a great monitor.

Ops, that was my fault then...Westy uses CMO. Sceptre uses AUO.

P.S. Good job on this huge endeavor!

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: ST
Ops, that was my fault then...Westy uses CMO. Sceptre uses AUO.

P.S. Good job on this huge endeavor!

lol, sorry 'bout all the confusion, but you sure about that? On the Sceptre site it says Super MVA and only CMO calls their panels Super MVA. I'm really confused. BTW, don't go by response time to detect the panel because one may use Overdrive or one could be deflated more. Otherwise the panels look identical to me.

 

[imported_ST]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: ST
Ops, that was my fault then...Westy uses CMO. Sceptre uses AUO.

P.S. Good job on this huge endeavor!

lol, sorry 'bout all the confusion, but you sure about that? On the Sceptre site it says Super MVA and only CMO calls their panels Super MVA. I'm really confused. BTW, don't go by response time to detect the panel because one may use Overdrive or one could be deflated more. Otherwise the panels look identical to me.

Positive about this. This is confirmed by the manufacturer's (Sceptre / Westy), and by numerous owners / enthusiasts. In fact, on the Sceptre unit, owners have also been able to find a hidden SPIDF port, by taking off the back casing. I do understand about the confusion on SMVA vs. PMVA. They are based exactly on identical technologies. AUO specifies it as PVMA, whereas Sceptre releases it and says it is SMVA tech (not sure why, but most likely a typo).

 

[xtknight]

Added Samsung 740B to gaming recommendations.

 

[iam133b]

hey i was wondering if i get the dell2405 and i play some games on it but not at the native resolution would it look bad? especially games like fear that i cant play at the native resolution thanks for any help

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: iam133b
hey i was wondering if i get the dell2405 and i play some games on it but not at the native resolution would it look bad? especially games like fear that i cant play at the native resolution thanks for any help

It's hard to say because it's subjective. Some people will tell you it looks awful and others will say they can hardly tell a difference. I myself consider my 17" LCD's scaling fine for old apps but I'm not happy with it with new games. 1:1 scaling will give you the best result (centering), and fixed-aspect is the next best, where it adds a minimal amount of black border yet increases the scaling quality. It also varies per LCD model. You can tell the graphics card to do the scaling too (at least on NVIDIA cards).

 

[wpeng]

So you don't know how to do fixed aspect with ATI cards? I run games at 10x7 due to a poor video card, and I can only afford a 5:4 lcd (19" or 17"). Do you run everything at native resolution, or do you sometimes have to use a 4:3 aspect ratio? I'm worried how bad it would look to be stretched.

 

[iam133b]

if i dont get a 2405fpw can i get some suggestions for 20" Lcd screens for gaming, and what do most people like better 1600x1200 or 1680x1050 thanks for any help again

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: wpeng
So you don't know how to do fixed aspect with ATI cards? I run games at 10x7 due to a poor video card, and I can only afford a 5:4 lcd (19" or 17"). Do you run everything at native resolution, or do you sometimes have to use a 4:3 aspect ratio? I'm worried how bad it would look to be stretched.

I don't know. I don't have any PCs with a Radeon to test that on. It's probably in the ATI Catalyst Control Center.

Originally posted by: iam133b
if i dont get a 2405fpw can i get some suggestions for 20" Lcd screens for gaming, and what do most people like better 1600x1200 or 1680x1050 thanks for any help again

The 2001FP is a 4:3 1600x1200 display.
The 2005FPW is a 16:10 widescreen 1680x1050 display.

They both use great S-IPS panels. That means good color and viewing angles. The response time I'm unsure of, but many people are happy with it. Not sure if they use Overdrive or what.

See my widescreen section. Keep in mind, at least in this case, that it's not just 80 pixels wider, but it's also 150 pixels shorter. Many people prefer the widescreen but it does have its trade-offs.

 

[mangled]

xtknight, I assume a widescreen LCD would also be good with an xbox 360, right? Would I get 720p or 1080i?

How about this LCD paired with a Chaintech 6800 for PC gaming and hooking up a 360?

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: mangled
xtknight, I assume a widescreen LCD would also be good with an xbox 360, right? Would I get 720p or 1080i?

How about this LCD paired with a Chaintech 6800 for PC gaming and hooking up a 360?

Actually that's a 16:10 LCD and what you'd need for perfect Xbox 360 compatibility would be a 16:9 LCD. The Chaintech 6800 would be fine for 1280x720 but not for 1920x1080.

 

[Keeir]

Monitor Review:

I recently setup a Viewsonic VG920 (Hey they wanted inbuilt speakers...)

Anyway, here are my impressions

Specs:
8ms TN Panel
5-Watt Speakers
DVI+VGA

1.
Out of the box the colors were terrible. At least comming from calibrated 8-bit land. After I ran through the calibration, the colors were signifcantly better but I could still tell the difference between my 8-bit panel and this 6-bit panel. The differences were especially noticable on subtle color gradients, IE the windows XP theme. However, I could easily see how one could get used to the 6-bit color and maybe even prefer this color to the 8-bit panel. Potentially this could also be due to a difference in video card as I typically use an ATi card and now was using a 6150 Nvidia onboard.

(The panel also is way too bright... but almost all LCDs go up too high these days..)

2.
Ghosting. It was there, but I needed to know what I was looking for to spot it consistently. This mainly happened on grey to grey transitions, IE running a red block across a green background. The level of ghosting was something that wouldn't bother me, but I could see how it could bother an FPS player.

3.
Black Level was overall fine. I don't play on or use monitors in the dark. This means that black level is typically good on any type of panel. Blacks suffered from more color banding then my 8-bit panel, but didn't look significantly less black. (Again, this is with the light on)

4.
My unit had slight backlight bleeding. The bleed was barely noticable on an all black screen. It was noticable when I turned out the lights, but this seems to be normal for LCD monitors.

5.
Speakers are terrible. Not much surprize here, but even like 20-30 dollar speakers will provide better sound. Overall volume on the monitor speakers also suffered. However, this was for a family computer and the buyer felt the less number of random accessories the better.

6.
Setup was overall fairly easy. The OSD is not the greatest, but sound be easy enough for anyone to use. If they can find the buttons which were small and hidden.

 

[mangled]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: mangled
xtknight, I assume a widescreen LCD would also be good with an xbox 360, right? Would I get 720p or 1080i?

How about this LCD paired with a Chaintech 6800 for PC gaming and hooking up a 360?

Actually that's a 16:10 LCD and what you'd need for perfect Xbox 360 compatibility would be a 16:9 LCD. The Chaintech 6800 would be fine for 1280x720 but not for 1920x1080.

Thanks for the response. So will I still have some letterbox bars when playing the 360 on it at 720p?

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: mangled

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: mangled
xtknight, I assume a widescreen LCD would also be good with an xbox 360, right? Would I get 720p or 1080i?

How about this LCD paired with a Chaintech 6800 for PC gaming and hooking up a 360?

Actually that's a 16:10 LCD and what you'd need for perfect Xbox 360 compatibility would be a 16:9 LCD. The Chaintech 6800 would be fine for 1280x720 but not for 1920x1080.

Thanks for the response. So will I still have some letterbox bars when playing the 360 on it at 720p?

Yep, or scaling.

Thanks for the review Keeir.

 

[martensite]

Keeir and Xtnight,

What do you guys think about the Viewsonic VP730b? (From the another thread, it was confirmed to be a TN panel, and not PVA as I initially mistakenly thought.) AFAIK, it is the successor to the VP171b.

You can still get the VP171 here, in Singapore, and the 171 is slightly cheaper, (Sg$459 vs Sg$499). Is there really much of a difference between the two, or just a renaming scam?

Main use would be FPS games, MS office/web and occasional DVD watching. No professional level image or video editing will be done on it. It would be run off a 7800GT on a nf4-ultra/AMD 3500+ combo.

With my budget currently, decent 19 inchers are out of the question. And if I go for a higher cost 17" (>sg$500), its going to eat away at my budget for the rest of the components

Thanks a lot for your advice.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: martensite
Keeir and Xtnight,

What do you guys think about the Viewsonic VP730b? (From the another thread, it was confirmed to be a TN panel, and not PVA as I initially mistakenly thought.) AFAIK, it is the successor to the VP171b.

...

ViewSonic VP171b and VP730b are probably the same except for design (and "ViewCare"?) (from what I saw on ViewSonic's specification pages).
I don't know, but I think the Samsung 740B should be decent.

Here's a site in Singapore that sells it. It's S$499w/GST. Same as Sg$499?
http://www.videopro.com.sg/catalog/prod...info.php?cPath=60_113&products_id=1386

This should be great for your purposes. All the aforementioned (ViewSonic VP171b, ViewSonic VP730b, Samsung 740B) are TN panels, yes.

The people in the General Hardware forum could help you factor the Sg$499 into your setup (providing you haven't already bought all the other components).

 

[martensite]

Xtknight, TY.
I had not considered the 740B, but I'll give it a good look now. If the image quality is far better for the 740B, I might opt for it instead.